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H.D. Woodson High School

Public Grades 9-12

28^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 35 District Of Columbia High Schools

Better than 20% of District Of Columbia high schools

Summary

H.D. Woodson High School is a public high school in Washington, DC, serving 544 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) district, which is ranked 22 out of 46 districts in DC and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite its higher per-student spending of around $34,000, H.D. Woodson High School consistently ranks in the bottom half of DC high schools, typically between 23rd and 30th out of 30-34 schools. The school's academic performance is significantly below the district and state averages across various subjects and grade levels, with only 24.1% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and just 3.3% proficient in Mathematics. The school's graduation rates, while relatively stable, also lag behind the district and state averages.

Interestingly, Phelps Architecture Construction and Engineering High School, a nearby school, stands out as a higher-performing institution, ranking 9th out of 33 DC high schools in 2024-2025 and having significantly better test scores than H.D. Woodson High School. Similarly, nearby Friendship PCS and Idea PCS charter schools also tend to outperform H.D. Woodson High School in academic achievement and rankings.

579

Students ?

9.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$34,310

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

540 55th St. NE
Washington, DC 20019

(202) 939-2030

District: District of Columbia Public Schools

Feeder schools for H.D. Woodson High School:

Elementary:	Burrville Elementary School
	C.W. Harris Elementary School
	Drew Elementary School
	Houston Elementary School
	More...
	Lorraine H. Whitlock Elementary School
	Nalle Elementary School
	Smothers Elementary School
	Thomas Elementary School
Middle:	Kelly Miller Middle School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

92.1%

Hispanic:

7.3%

White:

0.3%

See top rated District Of Columbia high schools

Compare H.D. Woodson High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 20th percentile in 2014 → 20th in 2025

Strengths

✓83% graduate in 4 years — above the District Of Columbia average (79%)

✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the District Of Columbia average (15% vs 32% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (20th percentile)

!Mathematics scores 23 pts below the District Of Columbia average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school15%

District avg37%

District Of Columbia avg32%

28^th of 35

District Of Columbia public high schools ?

Bottom 20%▲ up 10 pts since 2015

From bottom 10% (2015) to bottom 20% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of District Of Columbia High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

12^th of 16High Schools in the District of Columbia Public Schools

23^rd of 46District of Columbia Public Schools among District Of Columbia districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	28.4	28 of 35	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.9	26 of 34	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.6	30 of 34	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.8	23 of 30	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.6	27 of 34	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.1	24 of 34	29.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	25.8	27 of 34	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	24.4	26 of 31	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	23.7	26 of 29	10.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	16.6	28 of 35	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	19.2	24 of 31	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	13.0	27 of 31	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	21.6	23 of 30	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	30.2	25 of 32	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.8	30 of 33	9.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.9	28 of 34	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2022	41.3	7 of 19	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	32.1	23 of 31	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.5	18 of 33	45.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	25.1	26 of 31	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.7	20 of 32	37.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	37.8	18 of 32	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	21.8	27 of 28	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	26.4	27 of 30	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	25.6	30 of 32	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	26.3	27 of 33	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2023	33.7	3 of 10	70.0%	★★★★☆
2022	41.4	2 of 4	50.0%	★★★★☆
2019	27.4	21 of 25	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.4	11 of 26	57.7%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Special Education (2023)70th percentile+58 vs school

At Risk (2022)63rd percentile+40 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)44th percentile+24 vs school

African American (2025)22nd percentile~ school

Female (2019)16th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2019)6th percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs District Of Columbia (2024-2025) ?

English I26%-13 vs state

English Language Arts24%-13 vs state

English II21%-17 vs state

Mathematics3%-23 vs state

Geometry2%-12 vs state

★

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Schools Near H.D. Woodson High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				DC Science Science (2025)	DC CAPE English Language Arts (2025)				DC CAPE Mathematics (2025)		DC CAPE English II (2025)	DC CAPE Algebra I (2025)	DC CAPE Geometry (2025)	DC CAPE English I (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	DC Science Science End of Course	DC CAPE English Language Arts 6th Grade	DC CAPE English Language Arts 7th Grade	DC CAPE English Language Arts 8th Grade	DC CAPE English Language Arts All Grades	DC CAPE Mathematics 8th Grade	DC CAPE Mathematics All Grades	DC CAPE English II End of Course	DC CAPE Algebra I End of Course	DC CAPE Geometry End of Course	DC CAPE English I End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
H.D. Woodson High School	Public	9-12	540 55th St. NE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 939-2030	579	62	9.2		2 (0.3%)	533 (92.1%)	42 (7.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	28.4	28^th of 35 public high schools	20.0%		24.9	26^th of 34 public high schools	23.5%	2					24.1		3.3	21.0		2.5	26.0	$34,310	$4,744	$29,566
Maya Angelou PCS - High School	Public, Charter	9-12	5600 East Capitol Street NE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	Maya Angelou PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 379-4335	218	22	9.9		1 (0.5%)	215 (98.6%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)											9.1	$49,993	$2,910	$47,083
Ron Brown College Preparatory High School	Public	9-12	4800 Meade St. NE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 729-4343	196	29	6.7		0 (0.0%)	183 (93.4%)	10 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.5%)	31.5	25^th of 35 public high schools	28.6%		26.5	23^rd of 34 public high schools	32.4%	2					15.6		13.4	21.4	12.5	14.3	11.1	$50,320	$7,740	$42,580
Idea Pcs	Public, Charter	9-12	1027 45th Street NE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	Idea Pcs	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 399-4750	350	36	9.7		0 (0.0%)	330 (94.3%)	19 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	31.2	26^th of 35 public high schools	25.7%		29.2	19^th of 34 public high schools	44.1%	7					22.5		3.8	18.2			25.3	$36,038	$3,204	$32,834
Friendship PCS - Collegiate Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	4095 Minnesota Avenue NE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	Friendship PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 396-5500	745	68	10.9		2 (0.3%)	712 (95.6%)	20 (2.7%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.5%)	32.6	24^th of 35 public high schools	31.4%		38.3	14^th of 34 public high schools	58.8%	10					24.1		8.3	26.3	7.4	9.3	22.3	$33,815	$4,912	$28,903
The SEED PCS of Washington DC	Public, Charter	9-12	4300 C Street SE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	Seed Pcs	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 248-7773	245	14	17.1		0 (0.0%)	227 (92.7%)	15 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	11.9	35^th of 35 public high schools	0.0%					(n/a)					7.5		4.8	8.8		5.3	6.1	$67,610	$4,795	$62,815
Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools for Public Policy	Public, Charter	6-12	3701 Hayes Street NE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	Cesar Chavez PCS for Public Policy	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 398-2230	367	41	8.9		1 (0.3%)	320 (87.2%)	40 (10.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.4%)	35	20^th of 35 public high schools	42.9%		36.7	15^th of 34 public high schools	55.9%	5		25.0	24.3	20.0	24.5	9.4	4.7	29.4	7.0		24.1	$36,042	$7,046	$28,996
Phelps Architecture Construction and Engineering High School	Public	9-12	704 26th St. NE	Washington	20002	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 729-4360	350	33	10.6		3 (0.9%)	310 (88.6%)	30 (8.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.7%)	43.2	13^th of 35 public high schools	62.9%		41.1	11^th of 34 public high schools	67.6%	2	2.9				37.4		11.6	44.8	13.8	8.9	31.9	$31,347	$4,632	$26,715
DC Department of Corrections	Public	9-12	1901 D Street SE	Washington	20003	District Of Columbia	DC Jail Education Program	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(202) 698-4932	45	15	3.0		0 (0.0%)	42 (93.3%)	3 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)												$00	$00	$00
Eastern High School	Public	9-12	1700 East Capitol St. NE	Washington	20003	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 698-4500	909	85	10.7		26 (2.9%)	807 (88.8%)	56 (6.2%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (1.5%)	32.9	23^rd of 35 public high schools	34.3%		23.6	28^th of 34 public high schools	17.6%	5					25.2		5.0	25.2		3.4	22.3	$27,944	$4,720	$23,225

Frequently Asked Questions about H.D. Woodson High School

How many students attend H.D. Woodson High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 579 students attended H.D. Woodson High School.

What is the racial makeup of H.D. Woodson High School?

Students at H.D. Woodson High School are 92% African American, 7% Hispanic.

What schools feed into H.D. Woodson High School?

H.D. Woodson High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Burrville Elementary School
Elementary : C.W. Harris Elementary School
Elementary : Drew Elementary School
Elementary : Houston Elementary School
Elementary : Lorraine H. Whitlock Elementary School
Elementary : Nalle Elementary School
Elementary : Smothers Elementary School
Elementary : Thomas Elementary School
Middle : Kelly Miller Middle School

Is H.D. Woodson High School a good school?

H.D. Woodson High School ranks in the bottom 20.0% of District Of Columbia high schools.

What district is H.D. Woodson High School in?

District of Columbia Public Schools

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.